Hanyang Med Rev.  2011 Nov;31(4):211-219. 10.7599/hmr.2011.31.4.211.

Nutrition Management for Cancer Patients

• Wie GA

• KMID: 1451832
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2011.31.4.211

Abstract

Malnutrition risk during a hospital stay may increase with higher rates of complications and longer lengths of hospital stay. The prevalence of malnutrition in cancer patients is higher than in general patients because of cancer-specific characteristics and treatment processes. Most cancer patients undergo surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and/or other treatments depending on the type and stage of cancer; these treatments are associated with various side effects. Among these side effects, loss of appetite, sore mouth or throat, dry mouth, change in taste, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue can negatively affect dietary intake. Patient malnutrition can increase infection risks, side effects of cancer treatment, and mortality rates. Therefore, it is important to evaluate nutritional status as early as possible and to treat the nutritional problems through nutrition intervention and prevention of malnutrition.

Keyword

Neoplasms; Malnutrition; Nutrition Intervention; Food Habits

MeSH Terms

Appetite
Constipation
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Food Habits
Humans
Length of Stay
Malnutrition
Mouth
Nausea
Nutritional Status
Pharynx
Prevalence
Vomiting

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Nutritional Assessment and Interventional Pathways in Oncology (Ref. 24 with permission from Elsevier).

Reference

1. Torosian MH, Daly JM. Nutritional support in the cancer-bearing host. Effects on host and tumor. Cancer. 1986. 58:1915–1929.

2. Bozzetti F. Effects of artificial nutrition on the nutritional status of cancer patients. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 1989. 13:406–420.

3. Pirlich M, Schutz T, Kemps M, Luhman N, Burmester GR, Baumann G, et al. Prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized medical patients: impact of underlying disease. Dig Dis. 2003. 21:245–251.

4. Barrera R. Nutritional support in cancer patients. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2002. 26:S63–S71.

5. Ollenschlager G, Konkol K, Modder B. Indications for and results of nutritional therapy in cancer patients. Recent Results Cancer Res. 1988. 108:172–184.

6. Grant JP, Custer PB, Thurlow J. Current techniques of nutritional assessment. Surg Clin North Am. 1981. 61:437–463.

7. Jeejeebhoy KN, Meguid MM. Assessment of nutritional status in the oncologic patient. Surg Clin North Am. 1986. 66:1077–1090.

8. Allison SP. Malnutrition, disease, and outcome. Nutrition. 2000. 16:590–593.

9. Gallagher-Allred CR, Voss AC, Finn SC, McCamish MA. Malnutrition and clinical outcomes: the case for medical nutrition therapy. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996. 96:361–369.

10. Correia MI, Waitzberg DL. The impact of malnutrition on morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay and costs evaluated through a multivariate model analysis. Clin Nutr. 2003. 22:235–239.

11. Laviano A, Renvyle T, Yang ZJ. From laboratory to bedside: new strategies in the treatment of malnutrition in cancer patients. Nutrition. 1996. 12:112–122.

12. Ottery FD. Cancer cachexia: prevention, early diagnosis, and management. Cancer Pract. 1994. 2:123–131.

13. Duguet A, Bachmann P, Lallemand Y, Blanc-Vincent MP. Summary report of the Standards, Options and Recommendations for malnutrition and nutritional assessment in patients with cancer (1999). Br J Cancer. 2003. 89:Suppl 1. S92–S97.

14. Capra S, Ferguson M, Ried K. Cancer: impact of nutrition intervention outcome--nutrition issues for patients. Nutrition. 2001. 17:769–772.

15. Wie GA, Cho YA, Kim SY, Kim SM, Bae JM, Joung H. Prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition among cancer patients according to tumor location and stage in the National Cancer Center in Korea. Nutrition. 2010. 26:263–268.

16. Bozzetti F, Migliavacca S, Scotti A, Bonalumi MG, Scarpa D, Baticci F, et al. Impact of cancer, type, site, stage and treatment on the nutritional status of patients. Ann Surg. 1982. 196:170–179.

17. Fearon K, Strasser F, Anker SD, Bosaeus I, Bruera E, Fainsinger RL, et al. Definition and classification of cancer cachexia: an international consensus. Lancet Oncol. 2011. 12:489–495.

18. Ross BT. Bloch AS, editor. Cancer's impact on the nutrition status of patients. Nutrition management of the cancer patient. 1990. New York: Aspen Publishers;11–13.

19. Nebeling L. McCallum PD, Polisena CG, editors. Changes in Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat Metabolism in Cancer. The clinical guide to oncology nutrition. 2000. Chicago: American Dietetic Association;53–60.

20. Allison G, Dixon T, Eldridge B, Jinnah R, Polisena C. McCallum PD, Polisena CG, editors. Nutrition Implications of Surgical Oncology. The clinical guide to oncology nutrition. 2000. Chicago: American Dietetic Association;79–89.

21. Eldridge B. McCallum PD, Polisena CG, editors. Chemotherapy and Nutrition Implications. The clinical guide to oncology nutrition. 2000. Chicago: American Dietetic Association;61–69.

22. Polisena CG. McCallum PD, Polisena CG, editors. Nutrition Concerns with the Radiation Therapy Patient. The clinical guide to oncology nutrition. 2000. Chicago: American Dietetic Association;70–78.

23. Position of The American Dietetic Association: costeffectiveness of medical nutrition therapy. J Am Diet Assoc. 1995. 95:88–91.

24. Ottery FD. Definition of standardized nutritional assessment and interventional pathways in oncology. Nutrition. 1996. 12:S15–S19.

25. Council on Practice (COP) Quality Management Committee. Identifying patients at risk: ADA's definitions for nutrition screening and nutrition assessment. J Am Diet Assoc. 1994. 94:838–839.

26. Ferguson M, Capra S, Bauer J, Banks M. Development of a valid and reliable malnutrition screening tool for adult acute hospital patients. Nutrition. 1999. 15:458–464.

27. Kim JY, Wie GA, Cho YA, Kim SY, Kim SM, Son KH, et al. Development and validation of a nutrition screening tool for hospitalized cancer patients. Clin Nutr. Forthcoming 2011.

28. Buzby KM. Bloch AS, editor. Overview: Screening, Assessing, and Monitoring. Nutrition management of the cancer patient. 1990. New York: Aspen Publishers;15–23.

29. American Dietetic Association. Nutrition care manual: oncology [Internet]. c2011. cited 2011 Sep 16. Chicago (IL): ADA;Available from: http://www.nutritioncaremanual.org/welcome.cfm.

30. National Cancer Institute. Report No.: NIH Publication 11-2079. Eating hints for cancer patients: before, during, and after treatment [Internet]. c2011. cited 2011 Sep 15. Bethesda (MD): NCI;Available from: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/eatinghints.pdf.

31. Bozzetti F. Nutritional support in oncologic patients: where we are and where we are going. Clin Nutr. Forthcoming 2011.

32. Zibell-Frisk D. Bloch AS, editor. The Nutrition Support Team. Nutrition management of the cancer patient. 1990. New York: Aspen Publishers;317–325.

33. Raja R, Lim AV, Lim YP, Lim G, Chan SP, Vu CK. Malnutrition screening in hospitalised patients and its implication on reimbursement. Intern Med J. 2004. 34:176–181.

34. Goldwasser P, Feldman J. Association of serum albumin and mortality risk. J Clin Epidemiol. 1997. 50:693–703.

35. Cho G, Park HY, Park MS, Lee EK. Effects of nutrition counseling on diet and nutritional status of cancer patients on radiotherapy. Korean J Nutr. 2000. 33:193–201.

36. Kim MJ, Jun MH, Kim YH. The study on nausea/vomiting and calorie intake for gastrectomy patients receiving cisplatin. J Korean Acad Adult Nurs. 1996. 8:29–40.

37. Kim WG, Park MS, Lee YH, Heo DS. Nutritional risk in oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy. Korean J Community Nutr. 2008. 13:573–581.

38. Bae JM, Park JW, Kim JP. Nutritional assessment and intestinal absorption studies on total gastrectomized gastric cancer patients. J Korean Surg Soc. 1996. 50:475–487.

39. Kim TH, Kim WG, Cho YG, Lee YH, Kim JP. A study of nutritional assessment and dietary intake after gastrectomy of gastric cancer patients. Korean J Nutr. 1994. 27:844–855.

40. Kim YO, Han B. Association of nutritional status with clinical outcome of stomach cancer patients. J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2000. 29:1185–1189.